Jul 31, 2011

Items for today include a story about the demonstration yesterday in Al-Walaja where Israeli occupation forces apparently used an experimental weapon, links to CNN videos exposing the money grubbing fake "terrorism expert" Walid Shoebat (who was disavowed by his family in my village of Beit Sahour), and a request for financial donations to aid a Palestinian girl through the Harford Catholic Worker group. In other news is a spreading discontent among Israelis about their countries policies that make the rich richer, and the poor poorer (and no it is not merely a "housing protest").And in Syria, Bashar Asad forces killed 150 protesters in one day, a record.It seems that rising revolutions will not be stopped by promises of reform and lying politicians anywhere in the world.

Arrests, experimental weapons, and live ammunition for peaceful demonstrators: Al-Walaja popular committee reports that a demonstration against the wall happened yesterday 31 July 2011 at 9 AM with participation by dozens of locals, internationals, and Israelis. The occupation forces fired tear gas, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets and live ammunition. Injuries were reported. Most disturbing was that the Israeli soldiers used a new type of canisters that released an unknown substance in the air.The canisters were cylindrical and black (similar in shape but slightly smaller than stun grenades and produced no sounds).Israeli soldiers carefully removed the two objects from the field using gloves on one and a piece of cardboard on the other (clearly not wanting any remnants left in the field for these experimental weapons).They also tried to find and confiscate any video or photo evidence. One Palestinian youth was arrested as were three Israeli and two International activists http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9A5_11x_Iw&feature=related. The two Internationals are from the PEDAL group. The European PEDAL group, a group of cyclists who traveled on bicycles from London to Palestine to link struggles of communities along their path, struggles that range from economic justice to migrant workers’ rights to freedom from occupation and colonization (www.100daystopalestine.org). Some people asked to see a picture of the oldest tree in the area that is threatened (like descendants of its planters) by the wall in Al-Walaja.Here it is on Palestine Remembered http://www.palestineremembered.com/Jerusalem/al-Walaja/Picture36498.html

(look around that site for lots of information on Palestine).

Another request: The girl with Cochlear implants hopefully will have specialized evaluation soon.But now I turn to you for help for another girl.Marwa Al-Sharif went to Connecticut 10 years ago (August 2001) to have an Israeli bullet removed from her head.While the operation was successful, some side effects remained including a strange detrimental effect on development of her teeth. Marwa had done well in school since returning to Palestine and just graduated from high school but really requires expensive dental surgeries on all her teeth. We need your donation towards this work which is estimated to cost NIS18,000 (Euro3,800 or US$5,500.)The Hartford Catholic Worker (a nonprofit which helped bring Marwa to the US in 2001) is collecting donations which will be transferred directly to the Palestinian dentist for the work.Please donate by going directly to http://hartfordcatholicworker.org/about/and indicate on your donations that it is for "Marwa's Dentistry Work". For detail on her story, visit http://www.qumsiyeh.org/marwa/

CNN exposes Walid Shoebat, a fake terrorism expert (he claimed he is an ex-terrorist which is a lie and he rakes in hundreds of thousands from this scam). Watch this:

Jul 25, 2011

It is amazing how the spin media continues to spin.After the atrocity in Norway, they were quick to blame "Muslim terrorists". Then suddenly silence when it became clear that the attacker espoused Zionist and ultra-right views against Muslims, against Palestinians and against "multiculturalism".In fact hardly any mainstream bnewspaper reported that the Utoya Island youth camp targeted by this criminal had signs for "boycott Israel".No mainstream media used the language used when such a person happen to come from a Muslim background.We did not hear terms like "Christian Terrorist" or "Norwegian fanatic" or even "Zionist terrorist". *

Here in the real world where spin does not go far, home demolitions continue and racism cannot be hidden by fig leafs of spin language.Here many Palestinian and Israeli politicians surround themselves with "yes men" that nod their heads at all pronouncements of those on power.Forming a ring around these "leaders" and facing only each other, the real world fades into the background and the "make-belief" world becomes the only available image of reality.Mirrors, fog, and magic replace objectivity.In Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Tel-Aviv, there is no place for Al-Walaja, Al-Araqib, Atwani, Awarta, or Jib Theib.There seems to be no place for ordinary hungry, destitute people in places where meals are served in nice hotel rooms.But people (including politicians) must wake-up as the charade of indecency is exposed and the last curtain is lifted and the last nail in the coffin of the infamous Oslo accords is hammered (likely this September!).Perhaps then, more people will join us in working to ensure an end to apartheid and, not merely a vague "Palestinian state" in parts of the West Bank and Gaza but for a free Palestine from the river to the sea.Then we will enter the difficult but essential work of building a democratic state for all its people (Jews, Christian, Muslim, other).

PS: Al-Bab cultural group will review my Arabic book on popular resistance (meeting open but is in Arabic) Tuesday at 5 PM in Al-Rowwad center, Aida Refugee Camp.

There is so much more for us to do to educate our communities about the Israeli blockade of Gaza, the apartheid walls in the West Bank, the illegal settlements and other colonial activities.Organize your own flotilla in a lake near your home that rents little boats--this film is from Madrid, Spain-taking over the lake with boats with Palestinian flags!http://www.youtube.com/user/maritacassan#p/u/3/ysEA5XfM6Hk

About Me

Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh teaches and does research at Bethlehem University (BU) and directs the BU's cytogenetics laboratory and the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability in occupied Palestine. He also taught at Birzeit and Al-Quds Universities. He is author of "Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human rights and the Israeli/Palestinian Struggle", “Popular Resistance in Palestine: A history of Hope and Empowerment”, "Mammals of the Holy Land", and "The Bats of Egypt." He formerly served on the board of the Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People in Beit Sahour and Al-Rowwad Cultural and Theatre Society at Aida Refugee Camp.